Stephen Dadaian

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Stephen Dadaian
Steve d guitar.jpg
Background information
Birth nameStephen Charles Dadaian
BornMay 3, 1987 (1987-05-03) (age 36)
Origin Cresskill, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres Rock, classical, progressive rock, heavy metal, progressive metal
Occupation(s)Guitarist
Years active2005–present

Stephen Charles Dadaian (born May 3, 1987) is an Armenian electric and classical guitarist from Cresskill, New Jersey. [1] He is also a general dentist. [2] [3] He attended Cresskill High School, where he graduated in 2005 and later graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2009. He graduated and earned his DDS degree from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in 2013, where he was part of The William Jarvie Research Society. [4]

Contents

Dadaian began playing electric guitar at the age of 14 then classical thereafter at the age of 16. In his teenage years, Dadaian studied with electric guitarists such as Ron Thal and classical guitarists Antigoni Goni as well as Jorge Caballero. In 2008 and 2009 he was a top prize earner in the Philadelphia Guitar Society Competition – Collegiate Division. [5] During this time, he won first prize in Music Nation's "Slash's Ultimate Guitar Showdown", a national guitar competition with 2,500 entrants. The grand prize was chosen by Slash. [6] Stephen was a top prize earner in Guitar World's "Shred the Web" competition. He has also opened for notable acts such as Third Eye Blind at The College of New Jersey in 2008, which was one of the largest turnouts seen at the College in the past five years. [7]

In 2013, Stephen won a national guitar competition hosted by Jammit and judged by Dean guitars in addition to a representative of Pantera. Jammit allowed contestants to play a note for note cover or create their own rendition for the Pantera song "Drag the Waters", where Stephen performed the latter. The rhythm guitar was the same as the studio recording while the solos consisted of a mixture of his lead style with the style of Dimebag Darrell. It also made use of the features on his signature model guitar by Jason Lee guitars such as the arcade style killswitch button and the 27 fret fretboard. The judging for the contest was unanimous in Stephen's favor. [8]

In 2014 he was selected as a finalist and won the Jon Donais Guitar Battle Royale, which was judged by Jon himself. [9] Other accolades include an invitation to perform at the Guitar Gods festival with the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and Nick McBrain as well as a top nomination by a guitar competition hosted by Rolling Stone. [10] [11]

Dadaian released his debut solo album "Follow the Light" in 2019, which was an instrumental concept album. The record received positive reviews [12] [13] and the title track was premiered with Guitar World where Dadaian is a contributing guest artist. [14]

Equipment

ESP Guitars M-II and M-III Models [15]
Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedal
Dunlop Jazz III Picks
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 100 W 3 Channel
Mesa Boogie Mark IV
Mesa Boogie 4 x 12, 2, x 12

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References

  1. ↑ Batipps, Mylin. "Dentist by Day, Musician by Night", TCNJ Journal, April 13, 2013. Accessed December 23, 2013. "Stephen Dadaian is an electric and classical guitarist from Cresskill, New Jersey."
  2. ↑ Fitterman, Ben. "Rock music news and views". RIFTrock.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  3. ↑ "College duo plays to packed house". The College of New Jersey Signal. March 25, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "The William Jarvie Society of Columbia University". Dental.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "2009 Annual Guitar Festival Winners". Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society. April 18, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Musicnation channel". YouTube. May 20, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  7. ↑ Russomanno, Caroline (April 23, 2008). "Third Eye Blind draws largest crowd in five years". The College of New Jersey Signal. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Jammit Contest Winner". YouTube. February 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Guitar Battle Royale Contest Winner". Jon Donais. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Steve Dadaian: Pareidolia – Guitar Gods Festival competition" . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Solo Guitar Virtuoso STEVE DADAIAN to Release New Full-Length Album, "Follow The Light", on February 1, 2019". www.metalmeyhemradio.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ McGinn, Kyle (February 4, 2019). "Steve Dadaian – Follow the Light (Self-Released)". Dead Rhetoric. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  13. ↑ bkarr272. "Metal-Temple.com :: Steve Dadaian – Follow The Light (Review)". www.metal-temple.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  14. ↑ Maxwell, Jackson (November 28, 2018). "Steve Dadaian Premieres New "Follow the Light" Music Video". guitarworld. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  15. ↑ K, Jeff. "Steve Dadaian: "Red River"". The ESP Guitar Company. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
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